I Hate You Mudblood
by tinylexie
Summary: Draco Malfoy really hated Hermione Granger. Or at least that was what he kept telling himself.
1. During Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**** Draco's feelings towards Hermione throughout their years at Hogwarts.**

* * *

Draco Malfoy really hated Hermione Granger.

Or at least that was what he kept telling himself.

For one thing, her hair looked like an overgrown bird nest.

For another thing, she was such a know-it-all. It was as if she couldn't stand someone else knowing the answer to a professor's question. She always had to be the center-of-attention in the classroom.

And it definitely didn't help her case that she had chosen to be friends with that scarhead Potter (who required even more attention than she did, and that was saying something) and that poor, pathetic Weasley (who was so desperate to be someone worthy of attention that he had aligned himself with Potter as his glorified sidekick).

But even worse that those offenses, Hermione Granger was a filthy Mudblood. Someone who was not worthy to practice magic. Someone who didn't belong at Hogwarts.

And she just had to get higher grades than Draco. She clearly had no respect for Purebloods. It was so obvious that she was the one who was trying to act like she was better than everyone else. She especially had to be better than Purebloods. She was always helping that Longbottom boy out in Potions class, after all.

Who exactly did Hermione Granger think she was? A real witch? That was completely laughable. There was no way the Mudblood could ever be considered a real witch. Yet, she was always holding her head up high and acting all holier-than-thou.

She was both dirty and annoying.

Draco Malfoy really hated Hermione Granger, and he made sure that his parents and Professor Snape knew about it. For some reason, all three of them would always give him knowing looks whenever he mentioned her. What were _they_ getting at?

* * *

Once, Draco overheard a conversation between his father and his mother.

"I'm worried about Draco," his father said. "His grades really need to pick up. One day he will learn that he won't always be able to depend on the Malfoy name to get him out of a tough situation. We need to encourage him to concentrate more on his studies and less on insulting the likes of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. I am especially concerned about the way that he keeps on going about that Granger girl. She's a disgrace to our blood, yet she keeps on performing better than him in school."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that if I was you, Lucius," Narcissa Malfoy said. "Draco is still young. He will eventually grow out of this phase. For now, just let him be a child."

Grow out of what phase? What did his mother mean by that?

"You're right, Narcissa," Lucius Malfoy sighed. "I just want what's best for Draco, but I don't always know how to express that."

"Draco will be just fine," Narcissa Malfoy said in a soothing voice. "He just needs time to mature, so that he can prove once and for all that he is indeed better than that Granger girl."

Now his parents were the ones who couldn't stop talking about Hermione Granger. What was wrong with them?

And were they really trying to say something else?

* * *

It was all that Mudblood's fault for making him so confused and so unsure of himself.

That Mudblood was making him act like everything but a Malfoy.

Draco Malfoy really hated Hermione Granger.

Or at least that was what he kept telling himself.

* * *

It was so fun to make her angry, even though Draco had to admit that she had a better control on her temper than Potter and Weasley did. It was ridiculous how easy it was to rile up Potter and Weasley. And they were so predictable. So boring. Draco was being kind by just bothering to acknowledge them.

Granger, however, was different. She didn't give in to her anger. No, she was too busy being the peacekeeper for Potter and Weasley and keeping them out of trouble.

But then she showed a previously unknown side to her personality when she punched him. Him. Draco Malfoy. Son of Lucius Malfoy. The purest of the Purebloods. The greatest of all the Wizarding families.

Hermione Granger had punched Draco Malfoy.

Draco should have put Granger in her place after that incident, but instead he tried to pretend as if it had never happened.

But Draco couldn't forget what Granger had done to him. She had stood up to him as if she was _worthy_ to be in his company. She had put him in _his_ place.

Mudbloods just did not do that to Purebloods. It wasn't right. That wasn't the way it was supposed to be. It was the Purebloods that was supposed to place the Mudbloods in _their_ place, not the opposite way around.

Draco Malfoy really hated Hermione Granger.

Or at least that was what he kept telling himself.

Draco knew he should just ignore Granger. That was what his father had told him to do.

But Draco couldn't ignore Granger. He couldn't leave her alone. He just had to put her back in _her_ place.

But Draco never succeeded in doing that for long. In the end, it was Granger who always emerged at top. Sometimes she was even more annoying than Potter. And that was saying something as Potter could be very annoying, being the "Chosen One" and all that.

Draco Malfoy really hated Hermione Granger.

Or at least that was what he kept telling himself.

* * *

In his wildest of dreams, Draco would have never thought that he would actually see Hermione Granger at Malfoy Manor. Granted, Granger was not there willingly. She was a prisoner, in fact. But she was here. She was here in the place where Draco lived with his parents, the perfect Pureblood family.

Draco finally had the chance to put Granger in her place for good, but he just couldn't do it. He just couldn't confirm to his parents or to his Aunt Bellatrix with absolute certainty that the girl was indeed Granger. Draco knew that it was Granger, but he just couldn't speak the words.

Draco should not have minded when he heard Granger's screams as Bellatrix tortured her.

But Hermione Granger's screams would haunt Draco Malfoy's dreams for a long time. He would never be able to forget her, no matter how hard he tried.

Draco Malfoy really hated Hermione Granger.

Or at least that was what he kept telling himself.


	2. After Hogwarts

**Author's Note****: This takes place after the events of **_**Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows**_**.**

* * *

When Draco joined his parents for breakfast, he couldn't help but notice the copy of the _Daily Prophet_ laid out on the table. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy did not notice Draco at first, so he had time to notice what was on the front page of the newspaper.

To no surprise, there was a picture of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. There hadn't been a day since the end of the Second Wizarding War that the Golden Trio hadn't been on the front page of the _Daily Prophet_. It wasn't anything that Draco wasn't used to.

But it was still painful.

Before his mind could comprehend what his body was doing, Draco was touching with his finger the spot on the page that held Hermione's picture.

Why couldn't he stop thinking about her? It wasn't as if they had ever been anything between them.

Since Draco and his parents had been cleared of all charges and they no longer had to worry about being sent to Azkaban, Draco had taken the time to really think about his feelings. And Draco could no longer deny to himself that he had feelings for Hermione and that those feelings had been there since their earlier years at Hogwarts.

If only she had not been a Muggle-born.

Draco's eyes drifted towards Weasley, who had an arm wrapped around Hermione's waist.

Draco felt something catch in his throat. He had always known that Weasley had a thing for Hermione, but it was still painful to see the red-haired young man express his affection so openly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Draco noticed his parents exchanging knowing looks. The same look that his parents had always exchanged whenever Draco had complained about Hermione in the past.

It was clear now that his parents had also always known that he had feelings for her.

If only she had not been a Muggle-born. If only Draco had acted on his feelings before it had been too late.

Draco noticed that Hermione was smiling at Weasley. They looked so in love.

Draco had to look away from the picture. He sat down in the chair beside his mother with a lot more force than was necessary.

Narcissa Malfoy touched her son's arm lightly, and she gave him a slight smile. Draco returned the smile, even though he knew it was weak.

"I don't know why the _Daily Prophet_ keeps on insisting on putting the _boring_ news on the front page," Lucius Malfoy drawled as he opened the newspaper and laid it back down on the table. Hermione was now hidden from view.

Draco allowed himself a slight smirk. Him and his father had slowly began to grow closer since the Dark Lord's fall, and Draco was now beginning to develop a better understanding of Lucius Malfoy. Because of that, Draco knew that his father's comment was just his special, unique way of offering comfort.

Draco couldn't help but wonder, though, what his parents really thought about his feelings for Hermione. They had nearly been destroyed by the Dark Lord's presence in their manor, but their pride had not been completely broken.

Not that it really mattered. It wasn't as if Draco had any chance with Hermione anyways. He had lost any chance he might have had with her a long time ago.

He had made too many mistakes. He had hurt her too many times.

But it was still painful.


End file.
